Weblog 168
April 26, 2009~ 12:15am
It's been a loooong week. And today I babysat for little Kay and Bill. I taught Kay to play hopscotch-- Bill drew a treasure map and off we went into the 80+ degree weather, and made circuts of the yard. (Kay could not decide if she was a good witch or a bad witch, so she alternated roles.)
We make up lots of stories. I told them the tiny wild violets growing all through the grass in their yard, had been pixies.....until a wicked warlock put spell on them... and the dandelions were elves who'd met the same fate. Our task was to find the magic brew to pour on the grass to restore the elvish creatures back to their real natures. That was fun (till it got too damn hot) watching Kay and Bill come up with all sorts of sub-plots. They picked up sticks they swore had been discarded by Merlin and could surely dispatch the "green poisonous moss" on the front tree, and change it to golden honey-- which would save its woody life. LOL!! (Couldn't bear to tell them that moss always grows on the north sides of trees-- and is perfectly harmless stuff.)
We watched "Star Wars III"- (the one where Darth Vader becomes Darth Vader: mask, heavy breathing and everything) as well as Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas", which is a favorite of mine, any time of year.
Today was a day to celebrate EARTH, and the lovely (though too hot for me) day. What a gorgeous planet we inhabit...
And what creatures in it! Grandchildren... big standard poodles gentle as lambs -('Johnny Bananas, the chocolate colored family pet)- a fish tank full of graceful things, tails waving, even Bill's 'sea monkey' aquarium (yes, they still sell those brine shrimp that look nothing like monkeys)- and all of it, precious.
And here's a story to warm your heart. It was sent to me via email at work on Friday- before the hailstorm that knocked all our power out for two hours. 'Tis the season for capricious weather changes. Here's what the text said:
"A nest of little bunnies, about 6 days old, were attacked by a dog and orphaned. Two out of the litter of five did not survive, and these three were not doing very well.
Noah is a non-releasable, one-legged homing pigeon that we have here in rehab. Noah kept going over to the bunny cage and looking in...even sleeping in front of the door to the cage.
Then, 2 days ago, I only counted 2 bunnies in the cage, so I hurriedly picked Noah up from the front of the cage so I could look inside. And to my surprise...there was the tiny bunny...under Noah's wing...sound asleep! The bunny had crawled through the cage....preferring a featherbed, no doubt.
Now, they are all together, and the bunnies are doing GREAT. When the bunnies scoot underneath Noah's feathers, he extends his wings out to surround them..and they snuggle. When one of them moves and they start sticking out here and there, he gently pushes them back under him with his beak!!!!! This is amazing!!!"
That's your 'feel good' story of the day. And yes....FEEL GOOD...LIFE IS PRECIOUS....love it. (And teach the little ones to love it too. It comes so easily to them.)
April 27, 2009~ 5:10pm
I believe I've mentioned gifts in here before, and how the thoughtfulness of others touches me so deeply. Those "not for any particular reason" gifts, that come out of the blue and add such sparkle to an ordinary day.... those treasures.
Well, both on Friday and on Sunday -after a bear of a week- (and on Sunday, because I was too tired after babysitting Saturday to even check the mail) -my mailbox held not one, but two impromptu gifts! And I was delighted!
My friend Netto sent along another DVD for my viewing pleasure --and a lovely Abe Lincoln bookmark, as well as a brochure from the Huntington Museum's current Lincoln Exhibition which she'd just visited- and with it, a peppy post-it note that made me feel she was standing right at my elbow, grinning. (That's the kind of immediacy those kinds 'out of the blue' gifts bring with them.)
And fellow poet, and 'virtual friend' Kenneth Gurney, who often sends postcards with charming illustrations that accompany a small-- often wry, often funny, and sometimes profound bit of original verse, sent a copy of his newest book
and it's stunning! He'd mailed out a copy of his first book a while back
--and it floored me. I'll say this right here, right now...this man has become my favorite poet, living or dead.
I don't know why he's not known by everyone- with kids memorizing his writing in school- or why I don't see Kenneth step up to claim his Pulitzer for poetry- (yes, he IS THAT GOOD.)
I will say with absolute conviction that in BOTH of these collections there is at least one poem that makes me think: "That's the best thing I've ever read!" (And those angel choirs are heard singing a perfect counterpoint.) It's like seeing the 2001: Space Odyssey's obelisk float in space, Strauss playing in the background...
No one else does this. Not this often. He has a lovely hold on language, and absolute economy of image-- just deep enough to draw blood, wake us up, make us feel our hearts beat, and as I told him in my email-- "you know I love your writing. It makes me feel sane, and it gives me faith in the human race again. You're what's best in us."
And he is. He's a positive realist. Kenneth has a musical ear- but it's always understated; his writing is musical though not artificially so, and he feels rock solid to me. It's writing to sustain us; poems to lean on.
I will pay him the highest compliment by saying that while reading his poetry I often have to put the book down and quickly pick up a pen, inspired to write myself. He's a creative catalyst because he's already done the dousing, and he shows us there is water. Kenneth's books are available online at Amazon, and he gets my highest recommendation. ORDER THIS POET. (Announcement over. LOL!) What can I say?? I emote when I truly love something. And you know what Kenneth would say? "Live a good poem." I think I finally know what he means... he does.
April 29, 2009~ 8:00pm
Here's one of the most moving, beautiful short film clips you will ever watch...
it brought me to tears. What grace! What courage to rise above adversity, to soar above and beyond what are normally considered 'limitations'. To me, this film depicts the power of love itself... quite extraordinary!
***
(Return To Weekly Archives)
It's been a loooong week. And today I babysat for little Kay and Bill. I taught Kay to play hopscotch-- Bill drew a treasure map and off we went into the 80+ degree weather, and made circuts of the yard. (Kay could not decide if she was a good witch or a bad witch, so she alternated roles.)
We make up lots of stories. I told them the tiny wild violets growing all through the grass in their yard, had been pixies.....until a wicked warlock put spell on them... and the dandelions were elves who'd met the same fate. Our task was to find the magic brew to pour on the grass to restore the elvish creatures back to their real natures. That was fun (till it got too damn hot) watching Kay and Bill come up with all sorts of sub-plots. They picked up sticks they swore had been discarded by Merlin and could surely dispatch the "green poisonous moss" on the front tree, and change it to golden honey-- which would save its woody life. LOL!! (Couldn't bear to tell them that moss always grows on the north sides of trees-- and is perfectly harmless stuff.)
We watched "Star Wars III"- (the one where Darth Vader becomes Darth Vader: mask, heavy breathing and everything) as well as Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas", which is a favorite of mine, any time of year.
Today was a day to celebrate EARTH, and the lovely (though too hot for me) day. What a gorgeous planet we inhabit...
And what creatures in it! Grandchildren... big standard poodles gentle as lambs -('Johnny Bananas, the chocolate colored family pet)- a fish tank full of graceful things, tails waving, even Bill's 'sea monkey' aquarium (yes, they still sell those brine shrimp that look nothing like monkeys)- and all of it, precious.
And here's a story to warm your heart. It was sent to me via email at work on Friday- before the hailstorm that knocked all our power out for two hours. 'Tis the season for capricious weather changes. Here's what the text said:
"A nest of little bunnies, about 6 days old, were attacked by a dog and orphaned. Two out of the litter of five did not survive, and these three were not doing very well.
Noah is a non-releasable, one-legged homing pigeon that we have here in rehab. Noah kept going over to the bunny cage and looking in...even sleeping in front of the door to the cage.
Then, 2 days ago, I only counted 2 bunnies in the cage, so I hurriedly picked Noah up from the front of the cage so I could look inside. And to my surprise...there was the tiny bunny...under Noah's wing...sound asleep! The bunny had crawled through the cage....preferring a featherbed, no doubt.
Now, they are all together, and the bunnies are doing GREAT. When the bunnies scoot underneath Noah's feathers, he extends his wings out to surround them..and they snuggle. When one of them moves and they start sticking out here and there, he gently pushes them back under him with his beak!!!!! This is amazing!!!"
That's your 'feel good' story of the day. And yes....FEEL GOOD...LIFE IS PRECIOUS....love it. (And teach the little ones to love it too. It comes so easily to them.)
April 27, 2009~ 5:10pm
I believe I've mentioned gifts in here before, and how the thoughtfulness of others touches me so deeply. Those "not for any particular reason" gifts, that come out of the blue and add such sparkle to an ordinary day.... those treasures.
Well, both on Friday and on Sunday -after a bear of a week- (and on Sunday, because I was too tired after babysitting Saturday to even check the mail) -my mailbox held not one, but two impromptu gifts! And I was delighted!
My friend Netto sent along another DVD for my viewing pleasure --and a lovely Abe Lincoln bookmark, as well as a brochure from the Huntington Museum's current Lincoln Exhibition which she'd just visited- and with it, a peppy post-it note that made me feel she was standing right at my elbow, grinning. (That's the kind of immediacy those kinds 'out of the blue' gifts bring with them.)
And fellow poet, and 'virtual friend' Kenneth Gurney, who often sends postcards with charming illustrations that accompany a small-- often wry, often funny, and sometimes profound bit of original verse, sent a copy of his newest book
and it's stunning! He'd mailed out a copy of his first book a while back
--and it floored me. I'll say this right here, right now...this man has become my favorite poet, living or dead.
I don't know why he's not known by everyone- with kids memorizing his writing in school- or why I don't see Kenneth step up to claim his Pulitzer for poetry- (yes, he IS THAT GOOD.)
I will say with absolute conviction that in BOTH of these collections there is at least one poem that makes me think: "That's the best thing I've ever read!" (And those angel choirs are heard singing a perfect counterpoint.) It's like seeing the 2001: Space Odyssey's obelisk float in space, Strauss playing in the background...
No one else does this. Not this often. He has a lovely hold on language, and absolute economy of image-- just deep enough to draw blood, wake us up, make us feel our hearts beat, and as I told him in my email-- "you know I love your writing. It makes me feel sane, and it gives me faith in the human race again. You're what's best in us."
And he is. He's a positive realist. Kenneth has a musical ear- but it's always understated; his writing is musical though not artificially so, and he feels rock solid to me. It's writing to sustain us; poems to lean on.
I will pay him the highest compliment by saying that while reading his poetry I often have to put the book down and quickly pick up a pen, inspired to write myself. He's a creative catalyst because he's already done the dousing, and he shows us there is water. Kenneth's books are available online at Amazon, and he gets my highest recommendation. ORDER THIS POET. (Announcement over. LOL!) What can I say?? I emote when I truly love something. And you know what Kenneth would say? "Live a good poem." I think I finally know what he means... he does.
April 29, 2009~ 8:00pm
Here's one of the most moving, beautiful short film clips you will ever watch...
it brought me to tears. What grace! What courage to rise above adversity, to soar above and beyond what are normally considered 'limitations'. To me, this film depicts the power of love itself... quite extraordinary!
(Return To Weekly Archives)
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